To seek approval to enable the local authority to develop a proposal to commission a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) free school for young people aged 16-19 years old; and to recommend that approval be given to use an existing site within Hereford to accommodate the new school proposed

necessary feasibility works to further develop the business case and scheme to a maximum of £250k be approved and authority delegated to the director of children’s wellbeing to take operational decisions necessary to inform a further decision.

There is a need to provide places for pupils with SEND and current projects indicate that further places are required for 16-19 year olds by 2020. 

The council has an approved school capital investment strategy (SCIS) which, under principle 10, has an objective of levering in funding from a variety of sources. Local authorities were asked to submit expressions of interest to a national pilot project for run by the department for education to develop free special school provision in November 2016. Herefordshire was well placed to make a submission following the SCIS consultative work and the EFA approved progression to the next stage for a very limited number of schemes nationally in April 2017 (20 local authorities in total). Further progress with the opportunity requires approval from cabinet and agreement to the use of a suitable site.

Declining the offer from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) of commissioning a new 16-19 free school would forfeit opportunity to bring in additional funding for special school facilities to Herefordshire. Set against this the site would then be available for disposal or alternative developments.

Not retaining the former Broadlands school site, which was identified for disposal by cabinet at their meeting on 13 November 2014, would require an alternative site to be identified by the council for the EFA opportunity to continue. Through initial analysis of council owned sites in Hereford there are no suitable alternative sites available in the council ownership and a new site would require further council investment.